Air-propeller for flying-machines.



N o. 871 ,926. Y PATENTED ov. 26, 190?.

L. GATHMANN.

AIR PROPELLER FOR FLYING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED mu. 6. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l N0. 871 ,926. PATENTED Nov. 2 1907.-

- L. GATHMA-NN.

AIR PROPELLER FOR FLYING MACHINES.

' APPLICATION rIL'nn MAB. a, 1901.

2 SHIEETB-SHBET R1 WITNESSES. Mg/WU '20. I a plan or top view of an air propeller having UNITED, sTarEs rarnnr oFFIoE.

Louis GATHMANN, or wasiiineron, DISTRICT oF' COLUMBIA, ,ASSIGNOR' or ONE- Q rooms TO EMIL GATHMANN, or BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.

- -aI1 t' 1 norELLi:n Fon FLYING-MACHINES.

' :Bpecification of Letters Patent.

Patent'ed Nov. 26, 1907.

" T all it My concern:

i pellers'ma be rotated in opposite directions Be it ,knwn'that "I, LoUrsGArrimann, of VVashingto'n', in'the District of-Columbia,

-. haye invented a new and useful Improvement in" an Air-Propeller for Flying-Machines, of which the following is a specification. v

'Myjinvention has for its'object'the rowith a minimum application of power. My invention further I consists in providing means for using an air pro eller in connectfiilon with an apparat'us'a apted for aerial ht. v

lo thisend my invention consists in certain novel features and combination of parts which I will now proceed to riefly describe and particularly pointout in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is two sets of vanes; line 2-2'o f Fig.- 1. 2 shows two proellers mounted on twishaft's 12 and 12, the {letter being a hollow shaft so that the proto each ot er. Fig. 3'1s a vertical sectionof the ear of the apparatus.

'Similar' letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

10 is the propeller towards the center of which is located. the hub 1 1 which is securely fastenedto the vanes and preferably to the propeller shaft 12.

13, 1 3 and 13 are the aero-blades or planes, l tbeing the forward portion and 1.5

the rear portion of the same. v I

16 is the circumferential retaining Wall of the vanes.

w 17 is the ear of apparatus adapted for aerial flight.

A 18 and. 18 are annular rims which support the'main construction of the car. I

"19. is illustrative of :motor for rotating the propeller shaft or shafts.

By rotating the propeller thus constructed at a high rate of speed, rarefaotion or negative pressure is produced above the said' superimposed blades O1 plfi I18S. 13, 13 and 13 ofthe vanes 10. The resulting differencebetween the pressure upon the upper and lower sldes of said aero-pl'anes or blades,

gives the propeller a lifting or thrusting force exactly proportional to the degrees of differ}- ence oflthis pre ssure.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on aero lanes on t The high efficienoy of-the propeller thus constructed is due to the following essential parts and the combination of the superimposed aero-blades or planes 13, 13 and 13 and to the circumferential retaining wall 16'. The air at atmospheric pressure entering at the forward portion 14 between the aero-- blades or planes, owing to the rotation of the vanes in the direction of the arrows,is forced toward the retaining wall 16 by centrifugal force and is therefore considerably compressed before passing downward from the delivery channels X-X at the rear portion 15 of the aero-blades or planes. pressed air is discharged downward from delivery channels XX it performs its most Asthecom atmosphere the reaction or'reeoil against the aero-blades, forcing the propeller in the opposite direction from the flow of the escaping air in a manner similar to a rocket.

In order to obta'inthe maximum recoil or reactionit will be seen that the uppermost acro-plane or blade 13 should extend beyond the rear edgeof the lower blade or plane. It is also very important to have the rear edge 15 of the higheraeroplane or blade extend lower than the acre-plane or blade situated below, as shown in section in Fig. '2, so as not to create a rarefaction or rotary motion of the'air in front of the aero-plane above and thus produce excessive slip and yieldinglower pressure.

Extensive experiments which have. extended over a period of a number of years have convinced me that the key to successful flying machines is a propeller of high efli ciency. A pro eller consisting of rotary lie lines shown and described has, 0m actual tests made by me, shown a hfting force .of power. An aerial ocomobllewlt this type of propeller, built entirely of high grade steel, an having 20 feet extreme diameter, weighs approximately 900 pounds and would have a carrying capacity of 2,400 pounds with ap plied power of 32 horsepower.

It is obvious that the principle of my inyention may be modified in many ways, for

eitherhorizonta y or vertically. f -Many l nodifications may undoubtedly be pounds per ap lied horsep 20 for the purpose described.

'Havin now particularly described and ascertalne the nature of my invention and 1n 5 what manner the same 18 to be operated,

what I claim is i 1. An air pro eller" having two or more sets of vanes eacii of said vanes consisting of two or more superimposed aeroplanes, the rear edge of the uppermost aero-plane extending beyond the rear edge of the lower planes, -2. .An airpropeller' having two or more I sets of vanes each of said vanes consisting of two or r'gore superimposed 'aero-planes, the

rear edg of""the uppermost aero-plane'overlappingor-extending to rearward anddowniwardly beyiind the rearedge of the underneath plane; substantially as set forth and v -3-. A. ;-rotaryja1r propeller having two or more sets of-vanes each' of said vanes consisting pfctwo or more superimposed aeroplanes, the outer or peripheral. portion of said planes being located in a lower plane than their inner portion.

4. An air propeller having two or more sets of vanes eae of said vanes conslsting of two-or more superim osed aero-planes or' blades, the rear edge o the uppermost aeroplane or blade overlappingrearwardly the rear edge of lower planes, and a' segmental circumferential wall for closing the passage between said'aerolanes or blades.

45. An airpro eler having two or more sets of vanes eac of said vanes consisting of two or more. superim osed aero;planes or blades, the rear edge 0 the uppermost aeroplane orblade overlapping rearwardly the 40 rear. edge of lower Iplanes, and a segmental l for closing thepassage .eircumfere-ntial wa between said aero-planes or blades 'and'haw ing the aero-planes or blades lnchnmg at a downward angle towards their oircumfer- .45 ence.

6. An air propellerhaving two or more,

sets of vanes each of said vanes consisting of two or more superirn osed aeroplanes or blades, the rear edge of the uppermost aeroplane or blade overlapping rearwardly'the 60 rear edge of lower lanes, and ajsegmenta'l circumferential waU forclosing the passage between said aero-planes or blades and having' the aero-planes or blades-inclining at a downward angle fronr'the horizontal towards their rear portion and towards the cir- 'cumference.

7. An-air propeller having two or more sets'of'vanes each of sa d vanes COIlSlS'DLIlg. of two or .more superimposed .aero-pla'nes,

the. rear edge of the uppermost aerolane extending beyond the rear edge of the ower planes, Goiribination with a car containingmotive power for rotating the propellersl 8. An air pro eller having two or: .more sets of vanes each of sa'idvanes consisting of two or more superimposed or adjacent aeroplanes, the rear edge-of the greater planes extending-beyondjthe rear edge of the lesser planes.

9. A rotary air propeller havingtwo or -rnore sets of vanes each of said vanes con sisting of two 'or more superimposed or adjacen't earn-planes, sa d aero-planes having then peripheral port1o ns located. 1n one plane and'jtheir inner-portions in another plane,. substantially as and'for the. purpose specifiedq. J 10. A rotary air propeller having two or moresets'o'ffvanes each of said vanes consistingof. twoor more superim osed or adjacent aero plan'es, said aero-p anes having their outer; or peripheral portion located in a plane other'than that on which their inner ortion is located, and a segmental circuma5 erential wall for closing the peripheral passages between said aero-planes.

I LOUIS GATHMANN Witnesses I PAUL J. GA HMANN,

OLGA L. GATHMAN'N. 

